Jim Bakker Claims President Trump Is a Test to Prove If You Are Truly Saved
Lori Arnold | ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor | Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Jim Bakker Claims President Trump Is a Test to Prove If You Are Truly Saved

Televangelist Jim Bakker, who resurrected his career after serving nearly five years in prison for fraud, ignited Twitter Monday by declaring on his show that support for President Donald Trump is a “test [for] whether you’re even saved.”

“Only saved people can love Trump,” Bakker added during the taped episode of “The Jim Bakker Show.” The comment brought laughs from at least one guest and several members of the audience.

“No,” Bakker responded to the reaction. “You gotta really be saved. You gotta forgive. You forgive when you’re saved ...”

Bakker made the statement during a segment in which guests were promoting their books and viewers were asked to make monthly donations to the “PTL Voice of the Prophets Gold Member Network,” the Charlotte Observer reported.

One of the guests was Robert Henderson, who talked about his book, “Praying for the Prophetic Destiny of the United States and the Presidency of Donald J. Trump from the Courts of Heaven.”

During the show, Bakker also touted Trump’s commitment to Israel.

“He keeps signing things to protect the church, and he’s helped Israel, and recognized Israel,” the evangelist said. “He’s fulfilling (the) Bible, whether you like it or not.”

Bakker’s comments were met with a fair amount of backlash after an 18-second clip from the show was shared to Twitter. Amee Vanderpool, a contributing writer for Playboy and an opinion writer for the BBC, tweeted the clip of Bakker’s comment which has been viewed by more than 1.37 million people.

She captioned the clip, “Here is Jim Bakker saying that Trump is a test to determine whether or not people are ‘saved.’ The comments section below is here for you, twitter-have at it."

Twitter user T Taylor responded, “I am Christian. I oppose Trump. I am not worried. P.S. - Is this the same Jim Bakker, who along with his wife Tammy, fleeced America using the name of Jesus to cheat people? And to personally profit monetarily via the PTL club? THAT Jim Bakker”

Author of Reclaiming Hope and former Obama White House staffer Michael Wear, also commented on Bakker’s statement, calling it oppressive and manipulative. He wrote, “I know some think that Jim Bakker comment was bad because it was about Trump, but I want to tell you that it's always bad, morally oppressive & manipulative to suggest anyone's faith is vindicated based on their vote alone—regardless of who is the subject of the sentiment.”

Many of the other Twitter comments harkened back to the early days of Bakker’s ministry. During the 70s and 80s, Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye, built a mega empire through The PTL Club and Heritage USA, a Christian-themed park in South Carolina. In the late 80s, the empire began to crumble when revelations surfaced about Bakker’s affair with a church secretary and subsequent payoffs to the woman, forcing the televangelist to resign.

Bakker was later found guilty of 24 counts of conspiracy, mail and wire fraud relating to luxury hotel memberships he sold related to Heritage USA. An investigation found that the ministry sold far more memberships than the facility could accommodate and that Bakker kept more than $3 million from the proceeds. He served nearly five years. Bakker was paroled in 1994, two years after his divorce from Tammy Faye.

In 2003, Bakker returned to televangelism with Lori, whom he married in 1998.’ Prophecy and the end times are common themes to Bakker’s current show.

LordReed:


Bwahahahahaha! Ex-convict jailed for scamming people, is telling people god is asking them to support another scammer. Surprise surprise! LMFAO!

kayfra:


Jim Bakker?

Lmao

OLAADEGBU:


Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart have all repented and are forgiven. Jimmy Bakker is telling it as it is without fear or favour.

OLAADEGBU:


It is true that most atheists/liberals/Muslims hate Trump.

LordReed:


Yeah cos he's a POS and you know it but you are too dishonest and hypocritical to admit it.

OLAADEGBU:


https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/lori-arnold/jim-bakker-claims-president-trump-is-a-test-to-prove-if-you-are-truly-saved.html

solite3:


this is unbiblical, things men do for filthy lucre.

OLAADEGBU:


You still proved him right. You are against Trump because you are not saved.

OLAADEGBU:


What is unbiblical, do you hate Donald Trump?

LordReed:
Bwahahahahaha! Ex-convict jailed for scamming people, is telling people god is asking them to support another scammer. Surprise surprise! LMFAO!

LordReed:
Bwahahahahaha! Ex-convict jailed for scamming people, is telling people god is asking them to support another scammer. Surprise surprise! LMFAO!

orisa37:





Trump is not a Scammer. He's a Biz-President and an Apostle of Jesus Christ.

LordReed:


Yeah cos he's a POS and you know it but you are too dishonest and hypocritical to admit it.

orisa37:





U're an Atheist 'cos U don't know who Jesus is.

solite3:
this is unbiblical, things men do for filthy lucre.

Hiswordxray:
Before we just to crucify a fellow Christian, can we first entertain the thought that his statement was misunderstood or something?

He couldn't have been saying that we need to love Trump in order to be saved, that doesn't make any sense.

OLAADEGBU:


What is unbiblical, do you hate Donald Trump?

OLAADEGBU:


What is unbiblical, do you hate Donald Trump?

LordReed:


Indeed I am not indulging in your fantasy role play.

solite3:
There are many people who love Trump that does not mean they are saved. I dont hate Trump but I dont agree with some of his actions doesnt mean I hate him. Christianity has nothing to do with the world politics or system. A true Christian is known by their love of Christ and obedience to his commandments.

LordReed:


Jesus is the fairytale you tell someone to join your club called church.

LordReed:


Trump is an admitted and indicted scammer. The only thing remaining is for him to go to jail like Jim Bakker.

orisa37:





I have always thought that LordReed is a fair commentary. To describe OlaAdegbu as dishonest and hypocritical is unfair.

orisa37:




Jesus gives me Life to feel, think, reason, act, interact and move around. He has brought me out of a Life of scamming into a Life of Peace and patient Understanding of Love for all Life. Jesus is not fairy to me 'cos I see him every day

LordReed:


LoL! In your dreams abi.

LordReed:


He is a hypocrite. He talks about having family values then raises a man who has none as a hero.